The present invention pertains generally to barber shop and beauty parlor equipment, and more particularly relates to a cushion adapted to cover the hard surface of a barber shop or beauty parlor sink to cushion and protect the neck of a customer from the hard surface of the sink.
Various devices are known for cushioning the necks of barber shop and beauty parlor customers from the hard surfaces of sinks. Three such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,948,903 issued to Gilmer, U.S. Pat. No. 2,261,476 issued to Kiefer, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,818,585 issued to Campbell.
The Gilmer patent (U.S. Pat. No. 2,948,903) discloses a neck rest which is to be placed over a notched portion of a forward wall of a hair shampoo bowl, which forward wall includes an outwardly and laterally directed flange at an upper edge. The Gilmer neck rest includes a U-shaped body of resilient sheet material having a long flat leg, a relatively short leg, and a bight portion which connects the long leg to the relatively short leg. The bight portion is adapted to lie directly in the notch of the forward wall of the shampoo bowl, and conforms to the contour of the notch. The relatively long leg of the U-shaped body is adapted to overlie an inner surface of the forward wall of the shampoo bowl, while the relatively short leg, which includes an inwardly curled portion, is adapted to engage the laterally directed flange. The U-shaped body is stiff, yet resilient enough to be snapped into position and to be removed without the use of tools. The Gilmer neck rest also includes a pad, which may be of sponge rubber, which is bonded directly to the outer face of the bight portion of the U-shaped body. A sheet of water repellent material overlies the pad and has its marginal portions bonded directly to the face of the U-shaped body. The pad is intended to receive the neck of a user of the hair shampoo bowl and to protect the user's neck from direct contact with the wall of the shampoo bowl.
The Kiefer Patent (U.S. Pat. No. 2,261,476) discloses a neck rest for a front wall of a shampoo bowl, which front wall includes an arcuate depression. The neck rest, which is adapted to be received in the arcuate depression, includes a central portion which has a lower surface complementary to the depression and adapted to seat therein. An apron and two flanges which depend from the central portion enable the Kiefer neck rest to straddle the upper edge of the wall of the shampoo bowl. Attached to the central portion of the neck rest is a ratchet bar which extends through an opening in the lower edge of a ratchet frame attached to an outer surface of the front wall of the shampoo bowl. The Kiefer neck rest also includes a pawl mechanism which engages the ratchet bar, whereby the ratchet bar and neck rest may be raised or lowered to a desired elevation and fixed at that desired elevation. An upper surface of the central portion of the Kiefer neck rest includes an arcuate depression within which is received a neck rest pad. The neck rest pad may be formed of a soft resilient material such as sponge rubber. The pad includes a central portion as well as side flanges which grip the Kiefer neck rest to retain the pad in place.
The Campbell patent (U.S. Pat. No. 2,818,585) discloses a shampooing device having a tray with a cushioned neck accommodating portion. The shampooing device includes a water retaining tray having a substantially heart shaped flat floor and a forward wall with a neck accommodating curve formed therein. A cushion is provided for the forward wall of the tray and is molded substantially in the shape of the forward wall and the neck accommodating curve in that wall. The cushion is provided with a centrally positioned narrow slot throughout its curved extent, by means of which the cushion is mounted on the forward wall of the tray. The cushion is preferably formed of foam rubber.
Other barber shop and beauty parlor neck cushioning devices are disclosed in the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 2,803,834 issued to McClung; U.S. Pat. No. 1,244,715 issued to Dozier et al; U.S. Pat. No. 1,882,624 issued to Jackson; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 102,809 issued to Wutzler; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 199,782 issued to Rankin.
Customers who come to barber shops or beauty parlors to have their hair shampooed often wish to have their necks cushioned and protected from the hard surfaces of the sinks where the shampooing operations are performed. This is particularly true of, and important to, elderly customers as well as young children. Barber shop and beauty parlor operators are naturally desirous of accommodating their customers and of making them as comfortable as possible during shampooing and other operations. Thus, various neck cushioning devices, such as those described above, have been used in barber shops and beauty parlors in the past. Although barber shop and beauty parlor operators do wish to make their customers comfortable, for reasons of economy, utility, and cleanliness, barber shop and beauty parlor operators would naturally prefer to use neck cushioning devices which are inexpensive while also effective, readily adaptable to any sink, simple to use, readily sanitized, reusable, and water repellant.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a relatively inexpensive neck cushioning device to protect the neck of a barber shop or beauty parlor customer from the hard surface of a sink.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a neck cushioning device which is effective, readily adaptable to any sink, and simple to use.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a neck cushioning device which may be readily and easily sanitized and is thus reusable.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a neck cushioning device which is water repellant.
A neck cushioning device adapted to overlie a portion of the hard surface of a sink having a bowl surface, a substantially horizontal surface connected to and projected outwardly from a top edge of the bowl, and a downwardly directed surface connected to the substantially horizontal surface, according to the present invention, includes a flexible, resilient cushion having a top surface, which cushion is adapted to overlie a portion of the sink. The cushion includes a first portion adapted to overlie a portion of the bowl surface, a second portion integrally connected to the first portion and adapted to overlie a portion of the substantially horizontal surface, and a third portion integrally connected to the second portion and adapted to overlie a portion of the downwardly directed surface. The first portion and the third portion of the cushion are resiliently inclined toward one another, so that when the cushion is mounted on the sink the first and third portions grip the sink. A portion of the top surface of the cushion preferably includes a relatively thin layer of silicone.